Comminuting assembly for food waste disposer



Oct. 1, 1968 w. GUTH ,ETAL 3,403,365

(JOMMINUTING ASSEMBLY FOR FOOD WASTE DISIOS ER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 INVENTORS LAUREN w GUTH &c L.\\/ER R.CL.ARK

THEIR. ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,403,865 COMMINUTING ASSEMBLY FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Lauren W. Guth and Oliver R. Clark, Louisville, Ky, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 572,503 8 Claims. (Cl. 241194) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A comminuting assembly for a food waste disposer. The assembly includes a rotatable member having at least one impeller pivotally secured to it. Securing means are provided for removably securing the rotatable member to a rotatable shaft for rotation therewith. The securing means has a peripheral surface with at least one substantially flat portion. The rotatable member has pos tioning means to position the securing means flat portlon for engagement by the impeller whereby the flat port1on serves as a stop to limit pivotal movement of the impeller relative to the rotatable member.

This invention relates generally to food waste disposers and, more specifically, to an improved commlnutlng assembly for a food waste disposer.

Most food waste disposers commercially available today employ a rotating comminuting assembly which cooperates with a stationary grinding means to commlnute the food waste. The comminuting assembly includes a flywheel, or similar member, secured to the shaft of an electric motor. Two impellers are pivotally secured to the flywheel. The impellers are maintained in grinding relationship with the grinding means by the centrifugal force created by the rotation of the comminuting assembly. The impellers may be pivotal about either vertical axes or horizontal axes. In either case the pivotal relationship between the impeller and the flywheel minimizes jamming of the comminuting assembly which would otherwise occur when a relatively hard object such as a bone became lodged between the grinding means and the impeller.

The present invention is directed toward an arrangement wherein the impellers are pivotal about generally vertical axes. In such arrangement, it is frequently desirable to limit the extent of pivotal movement by the impellers. This is particularly true where the impellers each have a length suflicient to cause the impellers to strike each other in the event they both simultaneously pivot through the axis of rotation of the flywheel. The present invention provides an efficient, relatively inexpensive means which serves to limit pivotal movement of the impellers and also serves to secure the flywheel to the motor shaft.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved comminuting assembly for a food waste disposer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved means to limit the pivotal movement of an impeller, pivotal about a generally vertical axis, relative to the flywheel in a food waste disposer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means to limit pivotal movement of the impeller of the food waste disposer which also serves to secure the disposer flywheel to the motor shaft.

3,403,865 Patented Oct. 1, 1968 Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a comminuting assembly for a food waste disposer having a shaft. A rotatable member is adapted to be secured to the shaft for rotation therewith and at least one impeller is pivotally secured to the rotatable member. Securing means are provided to secure the rotatable member to the shaft. The securing means has a peripheral surface with at least one substantially flat portion. The rotatable member has positioning means to position the flat portion for engagement by the impeller whereby the flat portion serves as a stop to limit pivotal movement of the impeller relative to the rotatable member.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially cut away to show details, of a food waste disposer employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the flywheel of the food waste disposer of FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an elevational cross-sectional view, showing a detail of a modification of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG- URE 1, there is shown a food waste disposer 10 in which the present invention may be used. The disposer 10 includes a generally cylindrical hopper 11 defining therein a comminuting chamber 12. Secured to the lower end of hopper 11 by means of a clamp 13, is a casing 14. The upper end of hopper 11 is designed to be suspended from the drain opening of a typical kitchen sink 15. Any suitable suspension means may be employed for this purpose and such means is disclosed and claimed by Johnny W. Yartz and Francis J. Clements in US. Patent No. 3,108,755, which issued Oct. 29, 1963, and is assigned to the General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention. Since this particular suspension means does not form a material part of the present invention, it is not discussed in detail herein. A simple stopper 16 is positioned within a sink flange 17 to serve as a stopper or plug for the sink 15 when it is desired to fill the sink with water. The stopper 16 is easily removable for the loading of food waste into hopper 11 and for passage of water into hopper 11 continuously during the comminuting operation.

An electric motor 18 is encapsulated within casing 14 and is provided with an upwardly extending shaft 19 which is supported by a bearing 20. Shaft 19 is connected to a comminuting assembly, shown generally at 21, in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter. Comminuting assembly 21 includes a rotatable member or flywheel 22 having a pair of impellers 23 pivotally secured thereto. Cooperating with the impellers 23 to provide a comminuting action are a pair of grinding pads 24 secured to the inner wall of hopper 11. Each of the impellers 23 is secured to flywhel 22 by pins 25 which allow impellers 23 to pivot about a substantially vertical axis relative to flywhel 22. As best seen in FIG- URE 2, stops 26 are bent upwardly from the upper surface of flywheel 22 to engage and limit the pivotal movement of impellers 23 in the counterclockwise direction. During operation of disposer 10, comminuting assembly 3 21 rotates in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 2.

The construction thus far described is not, in all respects, critical to the present invention and, as will become more evident as the description proceeds, many of the aforementioned elements may be materially modified from the specific illustration shown in the drawing.

The operation of the device as thus far described is as follows. Stopper 16 is removed and the food waste is inserted into chamber 12 by the operator. As is customary in food waste disposers of the type shown, it is desirable to have the kitchen faucet running to provide a constant supply of water in the chamber 12 during the comminuting process. A switch (not shown) is closed to energize electric motor 18 whereupon shaft .19 rotates, and with it, the comminuting assembly 21. The food waste in hopper 11 is comminuted by the interaction between impellers 23 and grinding pads 24. The impellers 23 are maintained in comminuting relationship with the grinding pads 24 (as shown in solid lines in FIGURES l and 2) due to centrifugal forces exerted on impellers 23 as a result of the rotation of comminuting assembly 21. As the food waste is ground up, the water entering chamber 12 carries the comminuted food waste into a sump 27 below the comminuting assembly 21. The food waste is carried from sump 27 to the normal household sewer system by a discharge outlet 28.

As mentioned above, the present invention is primarily concerned with the comminuting assembly of a food waste disposer and, more specifically, with an improved means to secure the comminuting assembly to the motor shaft which includes means to limit the pivotal movement of the impellers comprising a part of the comminuting assembly.

In accordance with the present invention, a securing means, which in the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a standard hexagonal threaded nut 29, is provided to secure flywheel 22 to shaft 19 by engagement with external threads provided adjacent the upper end of shaft 19. Flywheel 22 has a recess 30 with a peripheral configuration substantially identical to the configuration of the peripheral surface of nut 29. Recess 30 serves as a positioning means to position nut 29 relative to flywheel 22.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, impellers 23 are shown, in dotted lines, in positions which they may assume during rotation of comminuting asembly 21 when they strike a relatively hard object. It can be seen that the trailing edge 31 of impellers 23 are, when in the dotted line position, aligned with a flat portion of nut 29. Thus, the flat portions of nut 29 are positioned for engagement by the impellers whereby the flat portions serve as stops to limit pivotal movement of the impellers relative to flywheel 22.

During operation of the disposer 10, comminuting assembly 21 rotates at a sufliciently high speed so that whenever impeller 23 encounters a relatively hard object, trailing edge 31 will be swung into any stop provided therefor with significant impact. The present invention contemplates positioning the fastening means to secure flywhel 22 to shaft 19 in such a manner that trailing edge 31 is provided with a substantially flat surface for engagement. This flat surface, or flat portion of a surface, distributes the impact forces over a larger area thus minimizing damage to either the impeller or the stop means.

In the preferred form of the present invention, nut 29 and shaft 19 are provided with right hand threads so that any impact forces transmitted to nut 29 from flywheel 22, due to impellers 23 striking relatively hard objects, will tend to tighten nut 29 onto shaft 19. Transmission of these forces to nut 20 from flywheel 22 is achieved by recess 30.

It should be obvious from the foregoing description that although threaded nut. 29 is employed in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, due to its ready availability and relatively low cost, the present invention is not limited to an arrangement wherein a hexagonal securing means is employed. Except for the flat portions to be positioned for engagement by trailing edges 31, the remainder of the retaining means may take any convenient peripheral configuration. Of course, the positioning means, which in the preferred embodiment comprises recess 30, may have tobe modified to accommodate the configuration of the securing means employed. Also, as shown in FIGURE 4, the preferred form of the present invention may be modified by providing shaft 19 with a threaded bore 19' and substituting a bolt 29 for nut 29 to be threaded into the bore.

Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides an improved comminuting assembly for a food waste disposer which includes an improved means to limit the pivotal movement of an impeller relative to the flywheel. Also, the present invention provides means to limit the pivotal movement of the impeller of a food waste disposer which also serves to secure the disposer flywheel to the motor shaft thus providing significant cost savings in manufacture of the disposer as well as generally simplifying the construction.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and it is contemplated that various other modifications or applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the appended caims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A comminuting assembly for a food waste disposer having a shaft comprising:

(a) a rotatable member adapted to be secured to the shaft for rotation therewith,

(b) at least one impeller pivotally secured to said rotatable member, and

(c) securing means to secure said rotatable member to the shaft having a peripheral surface with at least one substantially flat portion,

((1) said rotatable member having positioning means to position said flat portion for engagement by said impeller whereby said flat portion serves as a stop to limit pivotal movement of said impeller relative to said rotatable member.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein two impellers are pivotally secured to said rotatable member and said securing means has at least two flat portions, each adapted to limit pivotal movement of one of said impellers.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said positioning means comprises a recess in said rotatable member having a peripheral configuration substantially identical to the configuration of said peripheral surface.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the shaft has ex ternal screw threads and said securing means has internal screw threads whereby said rotatable member and said securing means are secured to the shaft by engagement between said external and said internal screw threads.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said securing means comprises a standard hexagonal threaded nut.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said positioning means comprises an hexagonal recess in said rotatable member to at least partially receive said threaded nut.

7. The invention of claim 4 wherein said external screw threads and said internal screw threads are arranged so that impact forces transmitted from said rotatable member to said securing means tend to tighten said securing means onto said shaft.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said shaft has an axial bore therein with internal screw threads and said securing means comprises a bolt received in said bore.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 11; Germagy; 2,963,231 12/1960 Ewing 241- 194 Great 3,071,329 1/1963 Shell et a1. 24146 5 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primaly Examiner.

3,194,505 7/1965 Spackman 241194 F. T. YOST, Assistant Examiner. 

